New anecdotes bring new details, like he was "really, really, really good 1-on-1."

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Plenty of ink has been spilled since former Apple CEO Steve Jobs passed away almost one year ago. The official biography by Walter Isaacson tips the scales at nearly 600 pages and revealed plenty: Jobs regretted not having life-saving cancer surgery earlier. He was livid over Android's purported copying of iOS. And Jobs was often driven to tears at what could seem like the drop of a hat.

And the retrospectives didn't end there. Former collaborator Ken Segall, who served as creative director for TBWAChiatDay, wrote his own book about his experiences with Jobs. That included outrageous Jobs ideas like naming the iMac the "MacMan," or having a Willy Wonka-style contest so one lucky iMac buyer could tour Apple's corporate headquarters. And PBS contributor Robert X Cringely dug up old interview footage from 1995 in which Jobs waxed philosophical about programming, craftsmanship, software, and the Web.

For instance, Jobs is known for being brash and terse when discussing what he perceived as faults in other's work. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind, even when talking with potential clients. When pitching IBM to license the NeXTStep software for its OS/2 line of computers, Jobs told IBM executives that "your user interface sucks."

And Jobs' attention to even the smallest detail is legendary. Former NeXT PR executive Emily Brower Auchard noted that she once had to buy a new pair of shoes when she accidentally wore two mismatched shoes to work one day, because Jobs was a "noticer" that could swiftly pick up on any flaw.

"One of my tasks was to sit in press interviews with Steve and take notes," Auchard told Forbes. "Once before an interview, I realized that I was wearing two different shoes. I had dressed quickly that morning and had grabbed what I thought were a pair of black pumps. They weren't. So I drove like a maniac to the Stanford Mall and bought myself a pair of replacement shoes at Nordstrom and then sped back to NeXT’s offices. It was the fastest shopping decision I ever made."

But Jobs could be "really, really, really good one-on-one," according to one former business associate. So when former head of T/Maker Heidi Roizen's father died, Jobs rushed over to her house to console her.

"He asked me to talk about my father, what was important about him, what I loved best about him," Roizen said. "I will always remember and appreciate what an incredible thing he did for me in helping me grieve."

And when former marketing guru Regis McKenna discovered that the iMac he bought for his granddaughter as a Christmas gift in 1998 had a faulty optical drive, Jobs made sure it was replaced right away.

"After using it a few hours, the disc drive door would not open," McKenna explained. "The dealer told me he was not authorized to exchange the computer for another one due to an Apple policy. I sent an e-mail to Steve and asked him about Apple’s return/exchange policy on a new product. Within five minutes my phone rang. It was Steve. He asked me what the problem was and the name of the dealer. 'I'll call you back,' he said. A few minutes later the phone rang and it was a very apologetic dealer. 'I have a new iMac here for your granddaughter,' he said."

The full Forbes piece is a bit lengthy, but highly recommended for anyone with more than a passing interest in Jobs.

"After using it a few hours, the disc drive door would not open," McKenna explained. "The dealer told me he was not authorized to exchange the computer for another one due to an Apple policy. I sent an e-mail to Steve and asked him about Apple’s return/exchange policy on a new product. Within five minutes my phone rang. It was Steve. He asked me what the problem was and the name of the dealer. 'I'll call you back,' he said. A few minutes later the phone rang and it was a very apologetic dealer. 'I have a new iMac here for your granddaughter,' he said."

That story probably takes a different feel from the perspective of the dealer. Although I wonder if he was following a legit Apple policy (I hope not) or just trying to rip off a customer.

For instance, Jobs is known for being brash and terse when discussing what he perceived as faults in other's work. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind, even when talking with potential clients. When pitching IBM to license the NeXTStep software for its OS/2 line of computers, Jobs told IBM execs that "your user interface sucks."

How did he deal with criticism of his work? Like the failure of the NeXT system in the market? Did he also tell Bill Gates "your user interface sucks"?

Who cares. This has got to be the worst and most pointless tech article this website has ever published.

You clicked the article based on the title, read it, and then took time to comment on it. So seems like you care, or are at least interested in the subject matter. The article title didn't bait you into here.

On a side note, Jobs was just a narcissistic douche. Takes a guy like that to do what he did, but he left plenty of destruction in his wake.

Ugh, I don't like these kinds of stories. Case in point is Emily Brower Auchard's. The shoe example says more about her and nothing about Steve. A hypothetical that didn't happen that's supposed to show how much of a noticer Steve was? It's pointless fabrification of the man with him no longer around to challenge these assumptions.

Let the record show that I did not post any negative commentary on this article (and many other Apple articles — I read them all). I pretty much only criticise when I post, but I typically only post when there is something important to criticise.

I love this part of the article: "When I saw the floor, I immediately turned to Jobs, standing next to me, and asked if he had been involved in every aspect of the design. He said yes. “It was obvious that whoever designed the store had never cleaned a floor in their life,” I told him. He narrowed his eyes at me and stepped inside.

A few months later an Apple executive told me that Jobs had all of the designers return to the store after it opened on Saturday, and spend the night on their hands and knees cleaning the white surface. After that, Apple switched the floors to the stone tiles now prevalent in its designs. –C.G."

That story probably takes a different feel from the perspective of the dealer. Although I wonder if he was following a legit Apple policy (I hope not) or just trying to rip off a customer.

Yes. That was Apple's policy at the time.I know because I was the salesman/tech at an authorized Apple reseller and service center in late 1998. That Xmass was a nightmare. Turned out iMacs had about a 20% DOA rate and it was disheartening to tell people who had a dead iMac under their tree that they could not simply swap it for another but had to have it repaired, by me if I could handle it or by Apple if it was a severe problem.I had stacks of dead Imacs and much less respect for Apple. Honestly it's still a sore point with me. What a shitty way to treat your customers.

For instance, Jobs is known for being brash and terse when discussing what he perceived as faults in other's work. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind, even when talking with potential clients. When pitching IBM to license the NeXTStep software for its OS/2 line of computers, Jobs told IBM execs that "your user interface sucks."

How did he deal with criticism of his work? Like the failure of the NeXT system in the market? Did he also tell Bill Gates "your user interface sucks"?

From what I understand he was pretty harsh on himself but equally he saw himself being kicked out of Apple as actually doing a world of good especially with what he learned when running NeXT. As for his asshole tendencies - I think that went into overdrive when he found out he had cancer, that he was on borrowed time thus wanted to cram us much stuff in before be died. Steve was always an asshole but from what I understand it comes more from his perception that 'this is how you get results' rather than the so-called 'drive to perfection' (given that you can deliver perfection without being an asshole).

That story probably takes a different feel from the perspective of the dealer. Although I wonder if he was following a legit Apple policy (I hope not) or just trying to rip off a customer.

Yes. That was Apple's policy at the time.I know because I was the salesman/tech at an authorized Apple reseller and service center in late 1998. That Xmass was a nightmare. Turned out iMacs had about a 20% DOA rate and it was disheartening to tell people who had a dead iMac under their tree that they could not simply swap it for another but had to have it repaired, by me if I could handle it or by Apple if it was a severe problem.I had stacks of dead Imacs and much less respect for Apple. Honestly it's still a sore point with me. What a shitty way to treat your customers.

I hated Apple at the time

But funny how times have changed. HP, Dell, Sony, virtually all PC makers treat you worse

And Apple is the top of the hill with customer service. Looks like they learned from their mistakes..

For instance, Jobs is known for being brash and terse when discussing what he perceived as faults in other's work. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind, even when talking with potential clients. When pitching IBM to license the NeXTStep software for its OS/2 line of computers, Jobs told IBM execs that "your user interface sucks."

How did he deal with criticism of his work? Like the failure of the NeXT system in the market? Did he also tell Bill Gates "your user interface sucks"?

From what I understand he was pretty harsh on himself but equally he saw himself being kicked out of Apple as actually doing a world of good especially with what he learned when running NeXT. As for his asshole tendencies - I think that went into overdrive when he found out he had cancer, that he was on borrowed time thus wanted to cram us much stuff in before be died. Steve was always an asshole but from what I understand it comes more from his perception that 'this is how you get results' rather than the so-called 'drive to perfection' (given that you can deliver perfection without being an asshole).

Eh, I always figured the main reason he was an "asshole" is that he had little patience for idiots or bozos, as he called them. So instead of tiptoing around telling someone they can fuck off, he just told them to fuck off. Which agrees with what you posted, with the difference that I don’t think cancer was the catalyst.

Life’s too short to spend being nice to people if you actually want them to realize they did something wrong or that they can do better. I used to spend 10-15 minutes trying to tell people something they did at work sucked because I tried to be politce/nice. Now I just say it sucks and why it sucks. Everyone competent around me can deal with that just fine, because they know I’ll also take the time and explain if they ask me for myreasoning or more details. *shrug*

Is this place Huff Po now?. Or is this a Blog commentary on the Forbes article?. The forbes article has been out not even day and were monday morning quarterbacking off it. Most if not all your article is in the Forbes Piece. What is the point of this here?.

For instance, Jobs is known for being brash and terse when discussing what he perceived as faults in other's work. He wasn't afraid to speak his mind, even when talking with potential clients. When pitching IBM to license the NeXTStep software for its OS/2 line of computers, Jobs told IBM execs that "your user interface sucks."

How did he deal with criticism of his work? Like the failure of the NeXT system in the market? Did he also tell Bill Gates "your user interface sucks"?

From what I understand he was pretty harsh on himself but equally he saw himself being kicked out of Apple as actually doing a world of good especially with what he learned when running NeXT. As for his asshole tendencies - I think that went into overdrive when he found out he had cancer, that he was on borrowed time thus wanted to cram us much stuff in before be died. Steve was always an asshole but from what I understand it comes more from his perception that 'this is how you get results' rather than the so-called 'drive to perfection' (given that you can deliver perfection without being an asshole).

Eh, I always figured the main reason he was an "asshole" is that he had little patience for idiots or bozos, as he called them. So instead of tiptoing around telling someone they can fuck off, he just told them to fuck off. Which agrees with what you posted, with the difference that I don’t think cancer was the catalyst.

Life’s too short to spend being nice to people if you actually want them to realize they did something wrong or that they can do better. I used to spend 10-15 minutes trying to tell people something they did at work sucked because I tried to be politce/nice. Now I just say it sucks and why it sucks. Everyone competent around me can deal with that just fine, because they know I’ll also take the time and explain if they ask me for myreasoning or more details. *shrug*

It's always amusing that some people think politeness and courtesy are irrelevant, unnecessary social conventions, then get really angry when they have a hard time getting through to people and getting the outcomes they desire...

It's always amusing that some people think politeness and courtesy are irrelevant, unnecessary social conventions, then get really angry when they have a hard time getting through to people and getting the outcomes they desire...

I think the word we're looking for is, tact. And yes it's not the easiest of skills to cultivate. Takes years sometimes to get real good at it.

2. I've always wondered how much Jobs actually knew about computers. Could he program? Did understand what his people were up to? Or did he simply have an intuitive sense of how people should interact with computers?

There was also a keynote where it had been more than a year since he had stated there would be a G5 at 3GHz and he apologizes for not reaching that goal. I'd have to dig around youtube awhile tho and it's blocked at work

Is this place Huff Po now?. Or is this a Blog commentary on the Forbes article?. The forbes article has been out not even day and were monday morning quarterbacking off it. Most if not all your article is in the Forbes Piece. What is the point of this here?.

i don't google "steve jobs" everyday but i do come to tech sites quite frequently.

so its nice for them to point me towards articles that i may have otherwised missed.